Lawyers representing Nima Momeni, who is accused of fatally stabbing tech executive Bob Lee, could call the victim’s ex-wife as a witness in the upcoming trial.
CBS News Bay Area learned in court documents Friday that the defense team, consisting of Florida attorneys Saam Zangeneh and Bradford Cohen and California attorneys Tony Brass and Zoe Aron, plans to call Krista Lee to the stand.
It is unclear what she will say during her testimony.
The defense team also said in an earlier version of the list that they plan to call Momeni’s sister, Khazar, and Jeremy Boivin, who allegedly supplied drugs to Khazar and a friend the day before the fatal stabbing, as witnesses.
This follows a preliminary hearing that set the rules for the trial, which is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Both the prosecution and the defense attended the hearing, as well as the suspect and several family members, including Momeni’s mother and Lee’s ex-wife Krista.
Momeni is accused of fatally stabbing tech executive Bob Lee in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023.
During pretrial hearings, the defense requested that video footage allegedly recorded by San Francisco Police detectives during a surveillance operation following Momeni’s arrest not be shown at trial.
Court documents filed by the Attorney General’s Office say prosecutors have video footage of Momeni reenacting the stabbing outside his former attorney’s office in Burlingame.
The defense team argues that the video is “not relevant” and should be declared inadmissible due to attorney confidentiality.
The defense also wants search warrant video footage of Momeni’s home to be thrown out as evidence. In court documents, the defense alleges that Momeni “possessed several knives and weapons that have nothing to do with the people’s case.”
Mention of the murder weapon’s relationship to a set found in Khazar Momeni’s apartment should also be excluded from evidence, according to documents filed by the defense. A paring knife found in the stabbing scene, which contained DNA from both Lee and Momeni, matched the brand of knives found in Khazar’s home.
The defense claims the connection is “pure speculation, as there is no evidence to show the knife came from the apartment.” On Wednesday, a judge denied that request.
Preliminary hearings will continue on Monday.
Jury selection is expected to begin next week at the earliest.
